The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Hilbillie on June 18, 2008, 08:22:23 am
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Well we have finally got ourselves up and running. We have three goats who have settled in lovely, hoping to pick up another maybe two at the end of the week. We picked up 6 chickens a week ago and they just dont want to go out in the field! They did spend one afternoon outside after we put them out but even though we open the pop hole every day and have even tried putting them out again they just come straight back in. They seem perfectly happy pecking around their enclosure in the barn (its about 35sq.m with soil floor) and have food and water and it is fairly light when its a sunny day. The chap we got them from said they were 17 and a half weeks and would start laying in about 3 weeks, will they still lay if they dont go outside? Should we just be patient and hope they eventually pluck up the courage to venture out or keep putting them out ourselves? Any advice would be gratefully received.
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I would say it is very early yet and give them time to get very settled where they are. Leave them to it and they will go out when they are ready - you will find one gets more confident and the others follow. We have found when chickens have been kept in before they come to us it takes a while for them to push their zone bigger and bigger and I think this is perfectly natural. They will lay when they are ready and this way they will lay where you want them to. Relax and enjoy your new friends!! 8)
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Yes I think we will just have to be patient and wait. They seem happy anyway. Thanks for your advice.
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They will do it on their own when they want to. We put some new ones in with our lot and a few of them have not gone out yet and it has been a few weeks now. We find they do their own thing and we let them got on with it.
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Thanks for that Wildman, that makes me feel much better. We're going to just let them get on with it, today one of them was sitting looking out of the pophole so that's something I suppose.
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;D Good news! two of our chucks have started going out and they seem to love it out there pecking around. Hopefully the others will follow suit soon.
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Brilliant!! it won't take long for the others to follow and this way they all know their way back to roost and if they feel threatened. Good news :D